Brandon Alger has remained close to home to continue his athletic endeavors and they could remain a possibility that he'll do it even as a professional.
The Indiana Tech sophomore pitcher was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 26th round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday. The Padres low-Class A team is the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Alger becomes the third player drafted out of Indiana Tech following Josh Judy (34th round in 2007 by the Cleveland Indians) and Jesse Hoover (5th round in 2004 by the New York Yankees).
The Leo High School graduate was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Pitcher of the Year this season following a terrific sophomore campaign, where he helped lead the Warriors to their first regular season conference championship since 2007.
The 6-foot-3 left-hander started 13 games for the Warriors this season and posted a record 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA.
Alger recorded 80 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched while issuing just 21 walks and opponents hit only .225 against him. His eight wins were tied for the most in the WHAC and allowed the fewest runs in the league while ranking second in strikeouts, third in ERA, and fourth in opponents batting average.
In two seasons with the Warriors, Alger is 13-6 with a 3.01 ERA and is already among Indiana Tech's all-time leaders in strikeouts with 128.
